Anyone got experience with one of these? Are they approved/legal for tournament play?

Any comments would be welcome

Thanks Mike

The Pinseeker is hands down the best rangefinder on the market today. It is a huge leap forward in rangefinder technology. It allows you to lock onto the flag very quickly and very easily even from long distances. I recently compared it on the course with my Nikon 500g and the Nikon seems like a dinosaur compared to the Pinseeker.

How much are they? Is it easy to get distances to traps/hazards?

the one with the slope & distance is illegal...but the one that just measures distance is legal if the local committee deems it so

The other poster is correct...the Pinseeker 1500 with Slope is not legal in competition, regardless of whether the slope feature is used or not. The 1500 w/o slope is ok IF deemed so by local rule.

May I suggest you check out the Bushnell Elite 1500. It is identical to the Pinseeker 1500 without slope. It is marketed for hunters and you may find it to be up to $50 less. The only differences are that the Pinseeker has a "Pinseeker" mode which the identical function in the Elite is labeled "Bullseye" mode. They are identical in function and ease of use.

As far as how well they work...I have had a Bushnell Yardage Pro 400 for some time and there is no comaprison to the Elite1500. The 1500 can target a flag instantly from extreme distances where the 400 was useless at more than 175 yards for hitting a pin, and often much less if the background was dense.

Just curious why if the elite and pinseeker are identical in function why is there such a difference in price?
Have you used both ie. are they really identical?

The Pinseeker 1500 (without slope) and the Elite 1500 are identical other than the terminology used, i.e. Pinseeker vs Bullseye modes. I didn't find a huge price difference, $50 max...if you are seeing a few $100 difference then there may be a previous Elite model. Make sure it is the Elite 1500. If you are comparing the Elite 1500 to the Pinseeker model with slope then there will be a pretty large price difference. I suppose that now that hunting season is pretty much over the Elite 1500 may be even a better bargin.

Just remember, the USGA will not allow the models that guage elevation change (slope) in competition....of course, neither may be used unless approved by the committee.

Otherwise, I suppose us golfers are viewed as affulent by Bushnell, justifying a higher price for the one marketed to us.

I have the Elite as I found it somewhat cheaper and I didn't want the Slope feature. My son is a competitive junior and we have it for practice rounds to make yardage books but IF it is allowed in his events then we wanted to have one that he could use...that eliminates the Pinseeker with slope as an option.

It is great, BTW

Just out of curiosity, if you're using the range finder during practice rounds to make yardage books anyway, why not get the one with slope and that way the yardage book will be a little more accurate. Although range finders can speed up play i recently read an article where it said sabatini was doing his own yardages now so that slows his pace of play and he plays better. things to keep in mind

If there is a particular tournament that does allow them then I would rather he have one then than be at a disadvantage...besides, I have heard that they are of questionable benifit regarding elevation change. If you read about how the unit does it I think you will agree that the effect of the shots elevation will have a big effect on whether it behaves the way the rangefinder predicts with regard to yardage.

Been using a Bushnell yardage pro 1000 for a couple of years now. Some observations:

4x magnification isn't enough, 8x is too much (and 6x is just right)
Get a rangefinder with a "scan" mode (that reads distance as you move the rangefinder--it's much easier to target rather than trying to hold the thing steady).

Eye relief is king--especially for those of us with glasses (or sunglasses). If you don't have enough eye relief, you have to take your glasses off.

As for the slope--played with one at the demo day today, and it's cool, but likely unnecessary (or maybe better stated as not worth the premium in price).

But I LOVE having a rangefinder...great on the practice range too (lets you know if that 250 yard sign is REALLY 250 out)

I totally agree with the previous posting that the Elite is the same exact model as the Pinseeker. I did a lot of research on this prior to buying a brand new pair of Elite 1500 on Ebay for $179, which is a steal. The only reason I think I got them at this price was because after doing my research I focused on doing my searches for Elite 1500 without inserting the word 'golf'. The seller had it listed to be used for hunting only.
The Pinseeker 1500 (w/o Slope (and legal)) and the Elite 1500 are the exact (sort of, read on) same just with different model names. This is of course done to focus on the different markets. A hunter isn't going to buy anything with Pinseeker on in, but a golfer could care less (unless the model was something like Davey Crockett 1500). I tried a buddy's pair of Pinseeker and compared them to my Elites and they were the same thing. The Pinseekers use the term 'Pinseeker' mode to pick up the pin without picking up anything in the background. The Elites use the term 'BullsEye' mode for the same exact feature. In the viewer the Pinseekers use a flag to show this mode and the Elites use a bullseye. I do know the the Elites also have a mode called BrushMode to do the opposite of the BullsEye mode, which is to focus on things in the background and not any tree limbs that may be in the way.
Earlier I stated that these were somewhat the same. The Elites have a built in LED light that will light up in the viewer when it dusk sets in. This was very useful when a buddy and I were trying to finish up our round since we took advantage of a discount at a local course if you tee off after 4.
I can say having this rangefinder has improved my game this year. I now know which club I want to use for every shot rather than having to guess what it is to to the pin or to clear the water or having to rely on the course markers, which we all know are not always accurate. Plus an added feature was that it cut my round down by nearly 40 minutes because I didn't have to waste time looking for a marker and counting paces off (which could be a good way to justify buying a pair by telling the wife (spouse) that is 40 minutes earlier you could be back home).
You can check for yourself by going out to Bushnell's website and read the wording of the Pinseeker mode and the BullsEye mode.

I find them great, cause they allow you to find out how far you fly the ball which is always good, cause it brings in consistance when your on the cource

Friend of mine just bought one and its awesome. People we also asking about how to get the bushnell pack that the pros have... Apparently impossible to get so he bought this waterproof fanny pack to wrap around his golf bag...also great because its waterproof.

http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Outdoor-Equi...6204&sr=8-1

I think the Optics and quality of construction are far better with the NIkon Monarch 800 than any bushnell. The Nikon is for hunting but is awsome for golf. The key is you have to start with the above mentioned model. It has great optics, backlighting, can easily pick out pins from over 250yrds and it waterproof. It's small and put together really well. It doesn't have slope but I want to factor that in myself, along with lie, wind, temp, etc. Anyway, I checked out the Bushnell's and it seemed like a kids toy compared with the NIkon.

I purchased the 1500 in July, 2007 and just returned from a two week vacation where I used it every day. I think it is accurate and very easy to use. I say it's accurate as you can shoot a distance, walk away, and return to take a second distance from the same spot and the second distance is +/- one yard from the first distance. It's easy to use as the time taken to remove it from the case, shoot a distance, and put it back in the case is less than 10 seconds.

Plus, I'm finding that some of the yardages at some courses are not very accurate. For example, yesterday I was 10 paces from the 150 monument in the fairway and thus I expected be to 160 yards from the pin which was located in the center of the green. The 1500, however, provided a distance of 176 yards. I picked my 175 yard club and after a good shot I ended up pin high, a few feet off the left edge of the green.

A golfer needs to be very serious about his/her game to invest $400 for a rangefinder. But if you are serious, then you'll be happy to know the 1500 seems to work as advertised. With the PinSeeker feature, it easily picks-up pins up to 250 yards away and larger objects up to 500 yards. (With my game, I don't ever need to pick pins over 250 yards so I am very happy about the performance.) It is particularly helpful on par 3's where there is no yardage monument near the teebox and where one can't see the pin position on the green.

I tried a friend's Nikon but found it hard to get a reading on the flag. Ended up having to shoot at the ground around the flag.

I was going on a golf trip with 7 other guys out to the Scottsdale area for some golf and decided to buy the Pinseeker to take along with me. 4 of the guys had Skycaddies so I thought it would be a good way to compare them. If I liked the Skycaddie better then I would just turn the Pinseeker back in and get the Skycaddie.

It took me a little while to figure out what to shoot at to get my yardage but once I figured it out I could get a reading to the flag within a few seconds. Very easy to use. The only drawback was having to pull it out of the case each time to use it.

One of the Skycaddies didn't work, looks like it got broken in transit. The other 3 didn't have any issues but I did hear about the batteries going dead, so they were having to charge them daily or change out the batteries. But they seemed to work fine out on the course. 3 of the courses were 4 star rated so that had lots of information. Several of the holes had split fairways or end of fairway so I found it easier to ask them how far to the end of the fairway vs shooting it myself.

One issue that the Skycaddie boys ran into is that we ended up playing a different course than we planned one day so they didn't have that course downloaded into their Skycaddie so it was useless. Pinseeker was quite useful for everone then.

I saw advantages for both gadgets but decided to stay with the Pinseeker. I could get any yardage that the Skycaddie had plus I could get an accurate reading to the pin.

The last yardage digit on my Pinseeker was hard to read to I took it back to Golfsmith. So I had my chance to go GPS, but decided to get another Pinseeker. This one works fine.

What a lot of people are also forgetting is that with the rangefinder you can laser the top edges of greenside bunkers...and get a minimum carry distance onto the green.
Which is really helpful in club selection...

E.g. 145 to carry bunker...flag is at 149 with lots of green behind the flag vs. 125 to carry onto green with pin in the back at 149.

Changes club slection a bit don't you think?

I can hands down validate this is the best range finder out there. Where it has helped me the most is INSIDE 100 yds. I can see that its 54 yds to the pin, and 42 yds to carry the fringe/bunker, etc. Always amazes me how what looks like 45 yds is usually 55 yds.

good luck

I just bought the non-slope edition and I confirmed that it is approved for tournament play with a couple of the local, friendly tournaments that I play in.

It has definitely lowered my score and saved me the mental anguish of trying to get out of the greenside bunkers.

I just bought the non-slope edition and I confirmed that it is approved for tournament play with a couple of the local, friendly tournaments that I play in.

It has definitely lowered my score and saved me the mental anguish of trying to get out of the greenside bunkers.

you can also get the regular golf one for less than msrp(399) on amazon for brand new...

tournament players should buy the model with slope reading and do up a serious yardage book, and then leave the thing at home for the tournament. the incline reader is well worth the money, and will probably be approved for tournament play soon enough.

I had to slope model and found that it was not a useful feature for me at all. The best rangefinder I've tried is the Nikon Monarch 800. It is as good as the Pinseeker at finding pins, but it is much smaller.

Bushnell has just come out with the Pinseeker VS, which is much more compact than the Pinseeker 1500. It looks like a winner.

I have been doing a lot of reading on these. A lot of people rate the Bushnell Pinseeker 1500 and the new Bushnell pinseeker VS and the Nikon 500G.

There is a big difference in cost and they all do the same thing. Maybe more people buy the Bushnell because the pros use em?
Most people agree that the 30 seconds it takes to get an accurate yardage is going to save you strokes.

I have two issues between the Nikon and the Bushnell.

1. Build quality?
2. Battery life?

Why do so many people rate the Bushnell over the Nikon???

I have the same questions as above. With my Birthday plus Christmas rolling around, I am going to get a range finder one way or the other.

The Nikon 500g is $211 incl ship and tax on Amazon and the Bushnell Pinseeker 1500 is $399 everywhere I look which is basically double the price of the Nikon.

The Nikon is more compact while the Bushnell can read from greater distances accurately.

I'm just leaning towards the Nikon, given that it is half the price plus more compact, and yes, I accept that technically it is good but not quite as good as the Bushnell.

Does this seem logical?

The Pinseeker is MUCH better at locking onto pins than the Nikon 500g--it's not even close. However, Nikon has upped the ante with it's current generation of rangefinders. The Nikon Monarch 800 and 1200 are the equal of the Pinseekers. These Nikons are currently marketed for hunting rather than golf, but Callaway now sells rebadged 800s and 1200s under their own name (for a lot more $$$). The Nikon 800 is small, fast to lock on and waterproof (just like the Pinseekers). The 500g isn't waterproof, and frankly doesn't perform as well as the latest technology.

As an avid golfer who usually walks during play (unless cart required), I found the PinSeeker 1500 w/o slope a great asset to my bag. Not only it’s easy to use but it also builds confident on what club to pull for the required yardage. It’s easy to point/shoot and get a reading of the yardage of the pin, bunker, tree, etc.





On a recent visit to Japan, I used my PinSeeker on several courses were caddies are required. I found that our caddie started to even rely on my readings for some of the yardage.

My friend has a Sky Caddie and though you can get an instant reading (for courses that have been setup) I would recommend the PinSeeker over this product.

I was just on Amazon website and they are selling the Bushnell 1500 Pinseeker for $299.99 with free ship, is that a good deal?

If this is the one you want then buy it now, don't delay. This price is 100 less than it has been for the past several months. I noticed Amazon is getting like the airlines in that their prices float up and down for specific items based upon daily supply and demand. This price may or may not be there for long. Personally, I got the Nikon 500g due to both price and small size, but the pinseeker was my second choice and would have got much closer consideration by me at this 299 price versus the previous 399.

AG

That's just bizarre... they seem to have the same unit with prices all over the map?

That's a good price though. I got mine back in July for 334.50 from Adorama (and then got 11.50 in shipping refunded because they said they had it in stock and didn't so it got delayed a week). Looks like prices have gone up. Checked Adorama and it's $399 now. Strangely enough the model with slope is $379 (guess they aren't as popular now that everyone knows about the USGA rule).

Hi, I'm really interested in buying a rage finder soon and have been doing a bit of research to back up my decision. The bushnell v2 looks great but the bushnell scout 1000 hunting model is approx. $100+ cheaper on ebay and seems to have the same features. Pinseeker (Bullseye), Scan, and the Scout has a brush mode not replicated on the v2.

The Scout 1000 can come with ARC (Slope) but seems to calibrate and readout in inches which would then need to be converted into +/- club length, but still at a $100+ discount to the golf model. The hunting model also seems to have a better backlight for use in low light conditions.

I did read somewhere that the golf models are set to priority aquire closest target first, whatever that means.

If anyone can comment, confirm or deny any of this info it would be apperciated.

Not sure of the specs on that one. They pretty much all have the two modes of acquisition. Generally they are far target and near target (within the center of where you're aiming it). The pinseeker model (and I suppose the others) will remember the last mode it was in. If not it's a matter of a button push and there is an indicator in the view finder. For golf you want the near target mode. ie. pin on green with trees close behind. For hunting you generally want far target. Bambi standing within the tree line. Scan mode is different and means the unit will constantly give target distance as you pan -- not sure but I think it very much narrows it's "focus" and reads exactly where it's pointing.

The Pinseeker 1500 seems to work very well since it's view finder is 7x(?). This gives just about a perfect field of view for golf. Something with greater magnification is harder to target at longer distance and harder to hold steady on your target visually. Something with less magnification is going to be hard to determine exactly what you're targeting at distance. It's easy to raise the unit to your eye and immediately target a pin at 200 or so yards. You're not hunting around to find the pin and you're also sure that's what you're targeting. I don't know that I have a back light... but I've only done a Golf In The Dark (charity tournament) once. Basically a drinking affair with glow sticks, glow balls, 1 flashlight per foursome and 6, fully stocked, free bar carts driven by nubile young wenches. Range finder wouldn't have made any difference...

It's also a nice size, form factor, and weight to hold steady while targeting. Something that's too light/small, heavy/large is hard to hold steady. This seems to be just right (for me).

I suppose you are already aware that the ARC/slope feature is not allowed within the Rules.

I got my pinseeker 1500 from Austads at around the beginning of the year last year for $299. I love it. It's easy to target flags and bunkers, and it's much quicker and more accurate than finding a sprinkler head or other yardage markers. It's especially nice when you hit a wayward shot (not that I ever do that) and you're too far from yardage markers to make a good guess at the yardage. Battery life is good. It seems to last about 20 rounds or so before batteries need to be replaced.

One thing to be careful of is that in the pinseeker mode, if the flag is behind a hill, you need to be careful that you are picking up the flag and not the hill. I left a few short when I got the wrong reading.

Anybody know where you can find a deal now on the slope version?
KH

I have had a Bushnell 1500 for several months now. It is by far the BEST investment I have EVER made in 16 years of golf. I don't think I could play golf without it. I am going to say on average it saves me 3 strokes a round, and that is a safe figure. I also like it at the range when I want to dial in how far I am hitting a club. Mine came with the same bag you see on the pros bags. It also had a free coupon for some $120 sunglass from Bolle. I have gotten to the point that if I didn't have it for the day I would probably not golf that day.

I used to own a rnage finder many years ago, but I don't have steady hands, so the finder was useless. Does the pinseeker technology work for people like me?

Try someone else's out. You can steady yourself against the cart roof. The 1500 is very quick at getting the distances, should work.

I could not agree more. I also switched from a Nikon to the 1500 and was blown away. Very fast and always hits the flag. You will not go wrong with this purchase.

Great idea, I did and it works for people like me.

I have both the yardage pro and the 1500 +/- and the 1500 is the clear winner. It picks up yardages much faster and with relative ease 200+ yards from the flag. The yardage pro is accurate also, but it is harder to pickup small target. I ended up selling my 1500 +/- on ebay because I don't need both.